Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-01
supcrstitions of the Persians.


The astrologers (moonadshim) are
still as omnipotent in Persia to-day as
they once were in medieval Europe.
Important matters Of State are never
broached unless the horoscope has be-
fore pronounced favorable upon it.
The Shah himself will not undertake
anything without having first con-
suited the horoscope (talch), not even
hunting excursion of day or SO,
nor the purchase of new slave
girl. There are also all kinds OF
"signs." Stumbling over an obstacle
early in the day, fit of sneezing be-
fore setting out on a journey, the un-
toward crawling of spider across the
road, or the scattered flight of some
birds-these are all signs OF evil fore
boding. The flight of birds is still as
carefully observed by the Persians as
it once was by the Roman augurs, and
if crow should happen to fly across
his path when leaving his palace, the
Shaw will Immediately turn back. 1t
is the same with his grandees,
even when most Of the few Persians
who have spent some years in Eu-
ropean capitals. But the most COM
mon form of superstition is the "evil
eye." The Persian word for it is
baade Khadem, which literally means
"bad step." This thing is carried to
a ridiculous extent. A baby is healthy
and pretty. A friend of the mother
admires the little. one in glowing
terms. That would he bdade Khadem
of evil omen-and would be looked
upon as diabolical design to injure
the child if the phrase Eenshdllah
(may it please God) were not added
to every eulogium. An old
woman looks at the child from
the right-hand side-evil eye again.
The father, by accident, speaks first
to the baby at sunrise-evil eye. A
girl, pretty, well-mannered, healthy,
with good dowry, is welded to a
man. The first business undertaking
of the young Benedict turns out dis
astrously. Evil eye! Nothing could
induce that man to keep his young
wife. She is badde Khadem to him,
and she's got to go willy nilly. AS
the divorce law is such that it vir-
tually lies with the husband alone to
keep or send away his wife, and as
the ceremony itself is very simple and
requires neither time nor money, he
soon gets rid of her. Nobody blames
him. "She was baade Khadem to
him." everybody says in explanation,
and that's enough.
Amulets are worn by nearly every
body to avert the evil eye and to at
tract good luck. These amulets are of
all shapes and substances. The
wealthier ladies, for instance, wear
gold bracelets, neck chains and ank-
let's, often of very artistic workman
ship, containing in sealed-up cavity
verses from the Koran, made espec-
tally powerful by the blessings of
some "imaum," or pious dervish.
Little mother-of-peal tablets, of
octagonal or oval shape,
and often set in turquoises, are
worn around the neck for the same
purpose. They generally contain, in
delicately engraved characters, some
Arabic incantations to the higher
powers to protect the wearer against
the lower ones. Poor women will
often content themselves with string
around their neck, to which may be
tied a strong talisman in the shape OF a
snakes tooth, a leopard rs tongue, a hy-
ena's tuft of hair, sometimes inclosed
in small locket of brass or silver.
Similar charms are the finger-joints
of newborn babes, a drop of blood
from an executed criminal, or an eye
from the body of an old woman who
died in childbirth. Superstitions of
this peculiar kind are practically in
Thus shells, parts of the
hyena or hare (two animals thought
to be especially haelal. that is, un-
clean), and the fruits of the anacar-
ditaluna are worn as amulets to secure
the love of husband, win the affec-
tion of lover, or turn in her di-
rection the preference hitherto shown
for rival. Lard, very rare sub |
stance in Persia, as no hogs are raised,
for religious reasons, when applied un-
awares by woman to any part of the
body of rival in her lords heart, is
believed to prevent child-bearing.
-[Cosmopolitan.